It’s prove-it time for the Cincinnati Bengals

It is a prove-it season for some gamers, like Cordell Volson, Cam Taylor-Britt, and Myles Murphy, but additionally for the Cincinnati Bengals as an entire.

Two seasons in the past, they only missed the playoffs. The excuse was that Joe Burrow missed the final handful of video games due to damage, and Jake Browning stepped in. Nobody likes excuses, however I’ll offer you that one.

Final season, additionally they missed the playoffs, however Burrow was wholesome. Tee Higgins was not and missed 5 video games, however Ja’Marr Chase was wholesome, amongst others as properly. Burrow wasn’t solely wholesome, he was arguably the very best quarterback within the NFL, as he was a finalist for a number of awards, finally coming dwelling with the Comeback Participant of the 12 months Award…once more.

Chase additionally received the NFL’s Triple Crown Award, which is main the league in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. However you’ll be able to’t win too many video games when your protection finally ends up being one of many worst within the league. That was the excuse final season. Not an excellent one.

The one factor the workforce wants to repair…scratch that. The one factor the group wants to repair is to finish the Trey Hendrickson saga, and I finally imagine they are going to lengthen him to a different contract. However they should finish that earlier than it turns into an even bigger distraction as soon as the season begins.

Now, with the workforce presently in OTAs and about three months out from Week 1, there are not any excuses left. The workforce has the most effective quarterbacks, huge receiver, and receiver duo within the NFL (who each simply signed large contracts). They should show they belong within the postseason.

The workforce acquired a number of new coaches, together with an offensive and defensive position coach and a defensive coordinator. It’s actually a workforce effort to determine what didn’t work final season and repair it. One factor is for sure: They should have their starters play extra in preseason, and that has already been addressed by coaches and gamers.

The following factor they’ve to determine is learn how to cease the run. They couldn’t cease the run even when the operating again bumped into them. It wasn’t good…in any respect. Hopefully, new defensive position coach Jerry Montgomery may help repair that.

Additionally they want to determine communication of their secondary. Hopefully, with Logan Wilson again wholesome, he may help repair that. He’s the captain of the protection, and hopefully, he can get all of the defensive backs on the identical web page.

Lastly, let’s preserve Burrow upright. Even after we thought the offensive line was stable and was going to be the very best line we had seen shortly, it wasn’t. Don’t get me flawed, that they had their moments once they had been stable, however general, it wasn’t nice.

The inside line was atrocious, so that they launched beginning guard Alex Cappa. A variety of of us anticipated them to launch Volson as properly, however that didn’t occur. Perhaps they nonetheless see some potential in him, however additionally they went forward and signed free agent Lucas Patrick and drafted rookie Dylan Fairchild, each of whom have been getting first-team reps early in OTAs.

New offensive line coach Scott Peters must get this to develop into aggressive and get some push and momentum towards the protection, which hasn’t occurred shortly.

Whoever the beginning line finally ends up being, they should lastly give Burrow stable good safety. It isn’t ok, but it surely’s good safety. That’s the problem for Peters, who Patrick had some optimistic phrases about this week.

Let’s see if our Bengals can FINALLY put all of the items collectively and punch a ticket to the postseason. Higher but, win the AFC North once more and make it to the Tremendous Bowl once more. They’ve the workforce to do it so long as they’ll repair the shattered items from final season.

There are not any extra excuses for underperformance this season.